Alabama Becomes 7th State to Approve Castration for Some Sex Offenses

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, made no public statement about the measure

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday signed into law a measure requiring anyone convicted of sex crimes with children younger than 13 to be chemically castrated as a condition of parole, NBC News reports. Under the new law, offenders required to undergo the reversible procedure must begin the treatment at least a month before their release dates and continue treatments until a judge finds that it's no longer necessary.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Steve Hurst, a Republican representing Calhoun County, who said that if he had his way, offenders would be permanently castrated through surgery."If they're going to mark these children for life, they need to be marked for life," Hurst told NBC affiliate WSFA of Montgomery.

The Alabama chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, opposed the measure as unconstitutional."They really misunderstand what sexual assault is about," Randall Marshall, the chapter's executive director, told WSFA. "Sexual assault isn't about sexual gratification. It's about power. It's about control."

Alabama is at least the seventh state allowing or requiring physical or chemical castration of some sex offenders, joining California, Florida, Louisiana, Montana, Texas and Wisconsin. 

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